Since 1986, the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation has been supporting Maine communities. As part of their 2020 grant process, the Foundation awarded fire grants totaling $115,000 to 4 Maine fire departments and First Responder Grants clients and students:
Randolph Fire Department, Maine, $40,000 for turnout gear
Nobleboro Fire Department, Maine, $20,000 for auto extrication equipment
Lebanon Fire Department, Maine, $35,000 for station addition
Turner Fire Department, Maine, $20,000 for auto extrication equipment
“Grants are available from generous private citizens and nonprofit organizations too,” says Greg Bavis, Grants Consultant at First Responder Grants. “Public safety agencies are trying to bridge those difficult gaps between their budget and their needs. State-focused programs such as the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation are making it possible for these four Maine fire departments to improve how they protect their communities and their personnel.”
Congratulations to our clients and students who are bringing home AFG fire grant awards! During August 2020, these 5 departments received AFG and SAFER awards totaling $976,139
Allenstown, NH: SCBA and compressor, $198,964
Gorham, NH: SCBA, $141,350
Fox River & Countryside Fire-Rescue District, IL: Brush Truck, $296,818
Portland FD, CT: SCBA, $265,544
2019 SAFER, City of Witt, IL: $73,463
“Greg took all the mystery out of the process, came up to meet in person, and helped me throughout the entire application period,” says Gorham Fire & EMS Chief Philip Cloutier.
“During the busy time period leading up to submission Greg was always available when needed and continues to assist with other grant applications as necessary. The members of Gorham Fire & EMS will now have up-to-date SCBAs, will be able to perform their duties safely, and return home to their families safely after a fire.”
In the first AFG vehicle award in The Granite State since 2018, Tamworth FD was awarded $179,937 for a Type V forestry truck.
“Vehicle acquisitions are one of the most challenging grants to win,” says Greg Bavis, Grants Consultant for First Responder Grants. “With the right grant-writing training, a compelling narrative, and a thorough, data-driven application, any department can bring home a grant that helps their operations and benefits their community.”
Two more First Responder Grants clients have joined the Winner’s Circle for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG):
Lincoln Fire Department, New Hampshire, $155,500
Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District, Arizona, $196,000
Both departments will use their AFG fire grants toward the procurement of SCBA for their personnel.
“Fire Service Organizations of all sizes can find themselves in the AFG winner’s circle,” says Greg Bavis, Grants Consultant for First Responder Grants. “By winning these two AFG fire grants, two fire departments on opposite sides of the country will be able to more effectively respond to incidents and protect their first responders.”
In August 2020, Maine’s Arundel Fire Department was awarded funds to bolster the department’s PPE and response around coronavirus and COVID-19.
The $6,107 COVID fire grant serves two main functions:
Reimburse personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases already made due to the national COVID-19 pandemic
Procure additional PPE stocks of N95 masks, gowns, and eye protection for future COVID-19 responses
“Response to coronavirus has stressed departments of all sizes,” says Greg Bavis, Grants Consultant at First Responder Grants. “These COVID-specific fire grants can help departments nationwide stock up on needed supplies to protect both the community and their personnel.”
6 First Responder Grants clients and students awarded over $680,000
Award rounds have begun for the Assistance To Firefighters Grants. On Friday, July 31, FEMA began posting AFG fire grant winners to their website. To-date hundreds of grant winners have been announced, primarily in the Operations and Safety program.
In the first award round, six First Responder Grants clients and students were awarded over $680,000:
Pittsboro Fire Rescue, North Carolina, Vehicle Exhaust System, $101,429
Dwight Fire Protection District, Illinois, New Pagers, $35,943
Berlin Fire Department, Berlin, New Hampshire, SCBA, $176,350
Holderness Fire Department, Holderness, New Hampshire, SCBA, Compressor $ 152,854
New Hampton Fire & Rescue, New Hampton, New Hampshire, Auto Extrication Equipment $ 50,000
Pittsfield Fire Department, Pittsfield, New Hampshire, SCBA $ 163,550
FEMA will continue posting awards at FEMA.gov. Check back regularly for more updates.
The Department of Justice today announced nearly $400 million in grant funding through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP). The Attorney General announced funding awards to 596 law enforcement agencies across the nation, which allows those agencies to hire 2,732 additional full-time law enforcement professionals. The awards announced today are inclusive of the $51 million announced in May as part of Operation Relentless Pursuit.
“The Department of Justice is committed to providing the police chiefs and sheriffs of our great nation with needed resources, tools, and support. The funding announced today will bolster their ranks and contribute to expanding community policing efforts nationwide,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “A law enforcement agency’s most valuable assets are the men and women who put their lives on the line every day in the name of protecting and serving their communities.”
The COPS Hiring Program is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing by providing direct funding for the hiring of career law enforcement officers. In addition to providing financial support for hiring, CHP provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement to enhance local community policing strategies and tactics. In a changing economic climate, CHP funding helps law enforcement agencies maintain sufficient sworn personnel levels to promote safe communities. Funding through this program had been on hold since the spring of 2018 due to a nationwide injunction that was lifted earlier this year.
CHP applicants were required to identify a specific crime and disorder problem focus area and explain how the funding will be used to implement community policing approaches to that problem focus area. Forty-three percent of the awards announced today will focus on violent crime, while the remainder of the awards will focus on a variety of issues including school-based policing to fund school resource officer positions, building trust and respect, and opioid education, prevention, and intervention. The COPS Office received nearly 1,100 applications requesting more than 4,000 law enforcement positions.
The complete list of awards can be found here. To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
In what are expected to be the final award rounds for FY 2018 SAFER and AFG, 221 US Fire Service Organizations have received a total of $35,760,094 in fire grant awards.
During Round 8 AFG fire grants, $34,897,561 was awarded to 214 fire departments, including:
Friends Of Long Lake Fire Ems, Inc., Long Lake, WI, Operations and Safety, $6,190
HI-NELLA FIRE CO, SOMERDALE, NJ, Regional Request, $14,286
Nashua, City of, Nashua, IA, Vehicle Acquisition, $80,952
Upper, Township of, WOODBINE, NJ, Operations and Safety, $548,095
BOLTON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT, BOLTON, NC, Regional Request, $846,542
SPECULATOR, VILLAGE OF , SPECULATOR, NY, Vehicle Acquisition, $928,571
During the final round of 8 SAFER fire job grants, 8 fire departments were awarded a total of $862,533 for recruitment, hiring, and retention of firefighters:
City Of Savannah, Savannah, GA, Hiring of firefighters, $2,138,478
City of South Fulton, INC, Atlanta, GA, Hiring of firefighters, $2,242,500
Chillicothe Community Fire Protection District, Chillicothe, IL, Recruitment and retention, $200,000
WARE, TOWN OF, WARE, MA, Recruitment and retention, $90,000
Goose Creek Rural Fire Department Inc , Goose Creek, SC, Recruitment and retention, $552,258
HOPKINS, COUNTY OF, SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX, Hiring of firefighters, $243,429
Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority, Kent, WA, Hiring of firefighters, $948,192
YODER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 5A, YODER, WY, Recruitment and retention, $485,410
Application periods for FY 2019 AFG, SAFER, and FP&S programs will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to First Responder Grants for updates.
From coast to coast, 8 First Responder Grants clients won a combined $1,203,928 in fire grants from the FY 2018 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER). These awards were announced as part of the 774 Rounds 6 and 7 AFG fire grant awards and the 213 SAFER fire jobs grant awards announced Sept. 18 and 20, 2019.
This week’s winners included:
5 AFG awardees, for a total of $441,590:
Herculaneum FPD, MO, $85,700, SCBA
Washington FPD, MO, $330,300, SCBA
Ross Township FD, OH, $63,012, SCBA compressor
Ibbett’s Pass FD, CA, $227,583, SCBA
Big River FPD, MO, $61,992, SCBA, Compressor
3 SAFER awardees, for a total of $762,338:
Hutchins FD, TX, $673,801
Waxahachie FD, TX 478.665
Dwight FPD, IL, $283,000
AFG and SAFER fire grants are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“Award rounds are winding down, but thanks to grants such as AFG and SAFER, hundreds of Fire Service Organizations can now better protect their personnel and their communities,” says Kurt Bradley, Senior Grants Consultant at First Responder Grants. “The end of one grant cycle is the start of another though. Keep an eye out for news about when application rounds open for these and more fire grants!”
About First Responder Grants
Public safety agencies nationwide rely on First Responder Grants for grant writing training, grant consulting, and the latest news and tips and news for writing winning grant applications. Since 1998, our Certified Grants Consultants have helped public safety agencies like yours win over $2,000,000,000 in grant funding. Our grant writing training students learn to write competitive grants that bring home additional funding dollars to your agency, but that’s not all. Students receiving First Responder Grants training in grant writing maintain a documented +80% success rate at winning a grant award after attending our classes—many on their very first application.
